In recent times, greater emphasis has been placed on national home security and detecting threats to populations. In particular, detecting or sensing the presence of undesired chemicals or biological material in the environment has become a priority, and a variety of detection devices have been developed in response thereto. One example is a chemical sensor that uses a multi-mode optical fiber having a core and a cladding. The cladding, or coating on the cladding, has optical properties which are altered in the presence of a pre-determined material to be detected. The amount of light transmitted through the core of the optical fiber is a function of the change in optical properties of the cladding or coating interacting with the material to be detected.
One design consideration for conventional detection devices is with sensitivity. In general, for a particular detection device, more time is generally required to detect the presence of undesired materials at lower concentration levels.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a sensor for detecting the presence of chemical and/or biological agents with enhanced sensitivity while minimizing the detection time. In addition, it is desirable to provide a sensor for detecting the presence of multiple and different threats while minimizing the package size of the sensor. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.